Pneumatic ballast tamper



Feb. 23, 1954 A. SCHEUCHZER 2,669,942

PNEUMATIC BALLAST TAMPER Filed Dec. '7, 1950 \\e 2212 e f2 1;? f; i 21 Patented Feb. 23,21954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

PNEUMATIC BALLASTV TAMPEE Auguste Scheuchlzer, Lausanne, Switzerland Application December '1950 Serial No.,199,61'6

claims priority, application' switzerland December 12 1949 relai-um.v (etica-11i My inventonrelates, toy an apparatusfor conveyingv fine gravel to and compacting" it lwithin cavities under the sleepers of a railroad ltrack by means of compressed air.

This apparatus comprises a ne gravel storage vessel having an aperture in a vertical side wall closed by a plate of transparent material carrying volumetric graduations adapted toallow the amount of ne gravel, effectively projected into the cavities under the sleepers to be checked with a practically suicient accuracy.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the moist gravel particles running in the vicinity of the side walls of the ejecting nozzle will be submitted to a stronger dynamic air pressure than that acting upon the particles running in the central portion of the ejection nozzle connected to a conveying pipe fed by the storage vessel with fine gravel and compressed air, so that these particles can be efficiently loosened from the nozzle Walls.

These, and other objects and advantages of this invention, will be clearly disclosed and described in the following specication, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claim.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. l shows in front elevation an apparatus comprising an air compressor on a truck.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view, through the vertical, longitudinal axis of symmetry of a sleep- A Vto the sleeper and corresponding to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View of the projection members taken from the plane IV--IV on Fig. 3.,

The apparatus illustrated as a whole on Fig. l comprises a truck on rails with a carrying frame I, on which are fixed a motor 2, an air compressor 8 driven by the motor and an air storage vessel R. A gravel-storage vessel 4, adapted to be set in operating position by a workman between the sleepers of the railway track, is provided with a double conveying pipe 5, to which is connected an ejection nozzle 6, a flexible air duct 'I connecting the air storage vessel R and the admission orice 8 of the conveying pipe 5 for the admission of air into the latter.

The intermediary conveying pipe 5 is curved at a right angle as at 5 and has a vertical end portion 55 connected to the vessel bottom. This pipe comprises a large curved channel 9 for the gravel and a smaller, flat air channel I subdivided over a downstream part of its length with a. medial longitudinal partition II, which produces two flattened orifices separating the air Y 2" stream into-two lateral jets;- which :ensure optie 'mum impulsion of'thegravel, sothat moistxpaii ticles .running inthe vicinity ofv the sidewalls of the ejection nozzle 6, will be efficiently loosened from the side walls, being submitted to a stronger dynamic air pressure than that acting upon the particles running in the central portion of the ejection nozzle.

The air channel I0, the upper end of which is provided with the inlet orice 8, is used for the injection of the compressed air. The threaded orifice 8 carries a valve I2, controlling the output of compressed air. At its lower end, the channel I0 emerges, just below the outlet orifice of the gravel channel 9, into the interchangeable ejection nozzle 6, frictionally held on the pipe 5.

The gravel-storage vessel 4 has an aperture 54 in a vertical side wall 58 thereof, closed by a plate 2l of transparent material carrying volumetric graduations v, enabling the operator to check the amount of ne gravel stuffed in the hole H, under the raised sleeper I3 illustrated in Fig. 2. The reference numeral I4 denotes a rail resting on the sleeper I3.

The ejection nozzle E comprises an inlet mouth 40, connected to the outlet opening of the conveying pipe 5, and is provided with a horizontal straightrst at portion 4I followed by a second portion 42 curved substantially at right angle in a horizontal plane. This second portion 42 comprises an ejecting orifice 43 adapted to direct the fine gravel G in the hole H lengthwise with respect to a raised sleeper I3, after the ejection nozzle has been introduced under a lateral side of said sleeper (see Fig. 3).

In order to render possible the introduction of the nozzle 6 under the sleeper previously raised up to its correct level, it is only necessary to remove a little of the ballast B towards the middle of the sleeper. The ne gravel injected in the longitudinal direction fills the hole H, and it is retained at the end and at the sides by the ballast which is already there.

From Fig. 2 it appears that the main portion of the ejection nozzle E itself constitutes a barrier preventing the projected fine gravel G from reaching the middle portion of the hole H below the sleeper. After filling up with fine gravel the rst lateral portion of this hole, located between the ejecting orice 43 and the left end I3' of the sleeper I3, the ejection nozzle 6 is carefully withdrawn from the said hole; however, as a matter of fact, the fine gravel G, strongly tightened, will not be submitted to an injurious decompression towards the middle of hole H by that removal of" the nozzle 6.

Then the workman takes the` apparatus to the other side of the sleeper I3, turns it over 180 about a vertical axis and again introduces the main portion of the ejection nozzle `li in the middle part of the hole H, so that the projection of ne gravel in the said hole is carried out in the direction of the arrow F1 (see Fig. 2) towards the right-hand end, not shown, of the sleeper i3.

What I claim is:

Apparatus for conveying ine gravel to and compacting it within cavities under the sleepers of a railroad track by means of compressed air, comprising in combination, a fine gravel storage vessel having an aperture in a vertical side wall closed by a plate of transparent material carrying volumetric graduations, said storage vessel having an opened bottom, an intermediary conveying pipe curved at a right angle and having an inlet vertical end portion connected to said vessel bottom and an outlet opening, a at air channel secured to said conveying pipe provided with an inlet apertureand with a vertical medial longitudinal partition over a downstream part of its length so as to form at its outlet end two horizontally juxtaposed flattened orices arranged underneath said outlet opening of the conveying pipe over the whole width of said latter opening, an ejection nozzle having an inlet mouth connected vto said outlet opening and said two flattened orices, said ejection nozzle being provided withfra horizontal straight flat first portion followed by a second portion curved substantially at a right angle in a horizontal plane, said second portion being provided with an ejecting orifice adapted to direct the flne gravel lengthwise with respect to a raised sleeper, after the ejection nozzle has been introduced under a lateral side of said sleeper.

AUGUSTE SCHEUCHZER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 472,072 Patterson Apr. 5, 1892 576,129 Goldie June 11, 1901 707,840 Goldie Aug. 26, 1902 .1,041,878 Royal Oct. 22, 1912 

